McDade, Liz not enough in Fisher Cats' 2-1 loss to Trenton

TRENTON, N.J. - Mike McDade continued to sizzle in June, but the rest of the Fisher Cats' bats fizzled in a 2-1 loss to the Trenton Thunder (36-39). New Hampshire (30-43) missed two rime scoring opportunities late in the game, leaving an opening for the Thunder to steal their second straight game thanks to an eighth-inning rally.

McDade's hot stretch continued as he knocked home the Fisher Cats' only run in the top of the fourth inning. With two outs and Kenny Wilson at second, McDade's blooper to left pushed Wilson home for a 1-0 lead. It was McDade's 13th hit and 10th RBI over his last 11 games.

The Fisher Cats held onto that lead through six innings of work by starting pitcher Radhames Liz (ND). He allowed just four hits, striking out four and walking one to lower his ERA to 0.47 through four starts.

There were several chances for the Fisher Cats to add to their lead. In the seventh, they had runners at second and third with one out, then had the bases loaded with two outs, but could not score. An inning later, consecutive singles put men at the corners with nobody out, but once again they were denied an insurance run.

The Thunder made the Fisher Cats pay for their stranded runners in the eighth. Facing reliever Tyler Ybarra (L; 2-3), Mason Williams led off the eighth with a double. He scored on a seeing-eye single by Ben Gamel to tie the game at 1-1. Later, with two outs, a Baltimore Chop over the head of Andy Burns gave Tyler Austin the game-winning RBI in the 2-1 victory.

Fred Lewis (W; 1-3) spearheaded another strong outing for the Thunder bullpen. He combined with two other relievers for four shutout innings of relief. The Thunder 'pen has pitched seven scoreless frames in the series, allowing just five this with ten strikeouts.

McDade's single was his only hit of the game, part of a six-hit effort for the Fisher Cats. Wilson and Jon Berti each extended their hitting streaks to give games, but Andy Burns went 0-3 to see his end at a season-best 11 games.

The Fisher Cats will now try to salvage the finale of the series on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Casey Lawrence will return from the DL looking for his fourth win (3-4, 3.61). He'll be opposed by Trenton lefty Matt Tracy (7-2, 3.1). Radio coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. with Tom Gauthier on WGIR 610 AM and www.nhfishercats.com.

The Fisher Cats return to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium on Thursday night to start a five-game series with the New Britain Rock Cats. The homestand includes two fireworks shows, a Friday night doubleheader, and a Sunday hat giveaway.